销声匿迹

銷聲匿跡

xiāoshēng-nìjì

idiom #18,555

Meanings

1 to vanish without a trace
2 to lie low
3 to disappear from public view

Characters

to extinguish; to cancel

to hide; to conceal

trace; footprint

Examples

那个歌手已经销声匿迹好几年了。

Nàge gēshǒu yǐjīng xiāoshēng-nìjì hǎo jǐ nián le.

That singer has vanished from the scene for several years.

案发后，嫌疑人销声匿迹了。

Àn fā hòu, xiányírén xiāoshēng-nìjì le.

After the crime, the suspect disappeared without a trace.

Tips

history

From the Song-dynasty 《北梦琐言》 by 孙光宪, describing a refugee hiding in remote Sichuan to avoid pursuit — extinguishing his voice and concealing his tracks.

memory

销声 (extinguish sound) + 匿迹 (hide traces) — no sound, no footprints, completely vanished.

Stroke Order

销 xiāo

声 shēng

匿 nì

迹 jì